Billy Joel – River Of Dreams (1993)

01. No Man’s Land – 4:48 
02. The Great Wall Of China – 5:47 
03. Blonde Over Blue – 4:55 
04. A Minor Variation – 5:36 
05. Shades Of Grey – 4:11 
06. All About Soul – 6:01 
07. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) – 3:34 
08. The River Of Dreams – 4:07 
09. Two Thousand Years – 5:20 
10. Famous Last Words – 4:59

    Billy Joel: Vocals, Piano, Clavinet, Organs, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Background Vocals
    Zachary Alford: Drums
    Phillip Ballou: Choir, Chorus
    Katreese Barnes: Choir, Chorus
    Tommy Byrnes: Guitar
    Richie Cannata: Tenor Sax
    Dennis Collins: Choir, Chorus
    Schuyler Deale: Bass
    Lew Del Gatto: Orchestra Manager
    Liberty DeVitto: Drums
    Will Downing: Choir, Chorus
    Laurence Etkin: Trumpet
    Wrecia Ford: Vocals
    Diane Garisto: Choir, Chorus
    Arno Hecht: Baritone Sax
    Lonnie Hillyer: Bass
    Jeff Jacobs: Synthesizer
    Stephanie James: Choir, Chorus
    Color Me Badd: Backing Vocals on 'All About Soul'
    Devora Johnson: Choir, Chorus
    Jef Lee Johnson: Bass
    Steve Jordan: Drums
    Curtis Rance King, Jr.: Choir Conductor, Choir Contractor
    Doug Kleeger Technical Support
    Danny Kortchmar: Guitar
    Andy Kravitz: Percussion
    Osvaldo Melindez: Trombone
    Ira Newborn: Orchestration
    Jim Saporito: Percussion
    Marlon Saunders: Choir, Chorus, Vocals
    Frank Simms: Background Vocals
    George Simms: Background Vocals
    T.M. Stevens: Bass
    Crystal Taliefero: Vocal Arrangement, Vocals
    Chuck Treece: Bass
    Mike Tyler: Guitar
    Leslie West: Guitar
    Brenda White-King: Choir, Chorus
    B. David Witworth: Vocals

Billy Joel had never taken as much time to record an album as he did with River of Dreams, and its troubled birth is clear upon the first listen. Never before had he recorded an album that sounded so labored, as if it was a struggle for him to write and record the songs. With River of Dreams, he's surrounded himself with ace studio musicians and star producer Danny Kortchmar, all of whom have the effect of deadening an already self-consciously serious set of songs. There are no light moments on the album, either lyrically or musically -- all the songs are filled with middle-age dread, even the two best moments, the gospel-inflected title track and his song to his daughter, "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." Those two songs have the strongest melodies, but they're not as natural as his best material. Everywhere he tries too hard -- the metaphors of "The Great Wall of China," the bizarre vocal intro to "Shades of Grey," minor-key melodies all over the place. He may be trying different things, but he doesn't sound comfortable with his detours, and by the end of the record, he sounds as exhausted as the listener feels. By that point, the closing track, "Famous Last Words," seems prophetic -- River of Dreams feels like a sad close to an otherwise strong career, and from all indications he's given in the press, Joel claims it is indeed the last pop album he'll ever make. It's an unworthy way to depart.

download (mp3 @ kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to mega 4shared cloudmail.ru ge.tt

back